MR. CLARK'S INTOLERANCE—ELDER FARRELL'S INFLUENCE OVER HIM—BAPTISMS IN STANWICK—CLARK FAMILY MIGRATE.

ON LEAVING the town of Northampton, Elders Morris and Farrell proceeded to the town of Stanwick, and held an out-door meeting the same evening they arrived there. At the close of the meeting a Mrs. Baker accosted Elder Farrell and said she would like to be baptized. He asked her if she ever heard the Gospel preached before. She said she had heard it a great many times, but that his talk that evening had convinced her that she should no longer hesitate about embracing it. He inquired if her husband was willing, and she replied that if she wanted to, he would not object. They went out about half a mile from the town and baptized her in a beautiful pond, and then walked back to town. She invited the Elders to go home with her, where they engaged her husband in conversation while she changed her wet for dry clothing. Elder Morris soon excused himself, leaving his companion to talk with Mr. Baker while he called upon the Clark family, close neighbors. Mrs. Clark and one of her daughters were members of the Church, but her husband was not. After awhile Mr. and Mrs. Baker and Elder Farrell also went over to the Clark residence. When they arrived there Elder Morris and Mr. Clark were engaged in a heated dispute, which threatened to develop into a quarrel. Elder Farrell exclaimed as he entered the house, "What in the world is the matter!" Mr. Clark declared he had only asked Mr. Morris a few questions about his religion, which, being answered, he said he didn't believe a word of it. Elder Morris had responded that if he didn't believe he would be damned, and quoted the words of the Savior to prove it. Mr. Clark thought he deserved more consideration, inasmuch as he had entertained the Elders, and offered them the use of a room to occupy whenever they wished.

While Elder Farrell was trying to pacify him and reason with him on religion in general, Sister Baker persuaded Elder Morris to return with her to her home.

Mr. Clark asked a great many questions, all of which were promptly answered, and generally to his satisfaction. He still insisted, however, that he did not believe in "Mormonism."

"Do you believe there is a God?" the Elder asked. "I believe," he replied, "there is some one ahead of us, who knows more than we do. You men call him God. He knew when I was born whether I would be damned or saved. If I was born to be damned, what is the use of me praying? It would not help me."

He went on to tell how he had abused his wife for being a "Mormon." He said if she went to meeting at night he would lock the door, and keep her out all night; but it made no difference; she kept on going to the meetings, and he kept on locking her out. His wife had a sister who was a "Mormon," and who had already emigrated to Utah. He said he went home one evening and found his wife writing a letter. He inquired who she was writing to, she replied that she was writing to Lizzie, her sister, in Salt Lake. He declared that he did not believe it, and accused her of writing to "Mormon" Elders. He demanded that she show him the letter, and she indignantly refused to do so, saying if he wouldn't take her word for it, she would not gratify him by showing him the letter. At that he seized her hands and tried to wrench the letter therefrom. She struggled to retain it, and he threw her to the floor. The letter stuck out between her fingers as he held her on the floor near the fireplace, and he pushed her bands up to the fire to burn the letter. She screamed, and her little boy nine years old, who was playing outside the house, came running in, and, seizing a stick of wood, struck his father across the face with it. When he arose the next morning his eyes were black and swollen, and his hands were burned. His wife bandaged his hands and put them in a sling; for a day or two he was about the worst used up man he had ever seen, with both eyes discolored and both hands burned, swollen and in a sling. He made up his mind then, he said, never to say another word to his wife about "Mormonism," but allow her to believe what she liked.

"And do you really believe," Elder Farrell asked, "that every man and woman is born to be damned or saved?"

"I certainly do with all my heart," Mr. Clark replied.

"Well," was the response, "I want you to excuse me, but I must say that you are about the most unreasonable man I have ever met in this country."

Springing to his feet, as though his anger was getting beyond control, he demanded that Elder Farrell prove it.

The reply was: "Your wife, according to your own words, was born a 'Mormon,' and cannot help herself. Don't you see how unreasonable you have been in locking her out of the house night after night, trying to burn her and indulging in other cruelty?"

Mr. Clark retorted: "I will never say a word to her again about religion. She can go to Utah with you if she wants to, and I'll not say a word to her."

"I don't want her," said Elder Farrell, "I have plenty of wives of my own."

"Do you have more than one?" inquired Mr. Clark.

"Yes," was the response. "I have two wives and sixteen children."

"Well," said Mr. Clark, "I think more of you than any other 'Mormon' I have met for your honesty. Others won't tell it, but you have honestly confessed it."

"Now," added the Elder, "I want to tell you that God lives and I am sent here to preach the Gospel of His Son Jesus Christ. If you repent of your sins and are baptized for their remission, and live your religion like a good, faithful Latter-day Saint you shall enjoy life to a good old age, and your last days shall be the best and happiest days of your life. You will enjoy the society of your family and your wife and children will enjoy your company. You will grow fond of attending the meetings of the Latter-day Saints, and in time be glad to repent of your sins and be baptized for the remission of them."

Just then the clock struck one, and Mr. Clark remarked, "Well, it is an hour past midnight. I am sorry I have kept you up so long. I will take you up to bed, and you remain there until I call you in the morning. I will call you in time for you to arise and get your breakfast, and from this time forth, whenever you come to Stanwick, come direct to my house, and make it your home; and if you advise when you are coming I will have one of my daughters go out and notify the people when you will be here. We will be most happy to receive you, and we will come and sing for you at your meetings."

From that time Elder Farrell always went to the Clark home on visiting Stanwick, and the family furnished music for the meetings, Mr. Clark playing the violin and singing tenor, and in other ways proving a good and true friend.

When Bishop Morris was released to return home he was succeeded as president of the Birmingham conference by Bishop William H. Maughan. Elder Farrell accompanied him on his first round and introduced him to the Clark family, as being among his best friends. After Elder Maughan had been there about nine months, and had become well acquainted with the Clark family, two of the daughters who had not yet joined the Church induced Bishop Maughan to ask their father's consent for him to baptize them. Mr. Clark impatiently blurted out: "If they talk baptism to me they cannot live in my home."

This was on Sunday evening. On Monday Bishop Maughan, finding it useless to try to reconcile Mr. Clark, left for Birmingham, and on Tuesday Elder Farrell called at Stanwick, in making the round of his conference. On leaving Nottingham, his headquarters, he had left word for any letters that might come for him during his absence to be forwarded to Stanwick, care of Jonah Clark. Sister Clark had told him on his arrival about Bishop Maughan asking her husband's consent to baptize her two daughters, and of his refusal. She begged of him to try, saying that Mr. Clark thought more of him than any other Elder he had met. He told her he would do so.

The next morning when the mail came it brought some letters for Elder Farrell, one of which was from Liverpool. On opening it he learned that President Brigham Young had sent word to the President of the mission to release him to return home, as the person who had succeeded him as tithing clerk for Cache valley was unable to attend to the work, and they wanted Elder Farrell home to resume his position in that respect.

Mr Clark was about to leave home for his work, and when he approached Elder Farrell to bid him good bye, the latter said, "Wait a moment; I want to read this letter to you," meaning the letter he had received concerning his release.

When he had heard it he said, "Well, Elder Farrell, I think more of you than any 'Mormon' Elder I ever met in my life, and if there is anything in my house that you want, all you have to do is to name it, and it shall be yours."

The Elder replied, "Thank you, that is all I want you to say; I don't want your property but here are your two daughters, Annie and Lilla; they want me to baptize them before I leave, and I would not do so without your permission. All I want you to say is 'Yes.'"

He dropped his head into his hands for about one half minute, then said: "Mr. Farrell, if they believe 'Mormonism' with all their hearts, and they want you to baptize them, I say Yes."

The girls and their mother who had been in the next room, listening, rushed in crying for joy, and thanked him for his kindness, and then he cried too, and Elder Farrell couldn't help shedding tears of joy also.

Controlling his feelings, he said, "Mr. Clark, you remember the last five persons I baptized down in the pond of water. Some of the people announced in the newspaper that if I ever baptized any more there they would duck me as long as I had breath. These people know that you don't like the 'Mormons,' and I want you to go out in another direction and find a good place to baptize the girls, and when evening comes you and I can go down and the girls may follow us, and be baptized without the people knowing anything about it."

He replied, "All right, Mr. Farrell. I'll not work to-day, but will go and find a suitable place."

He returned some time later saying he had found a place about a mile and a half east. He spent the rest of the day mostly in conversation with Elder Farrell. In the meantime a thunder storm occurred and a heavy shower followed.

A bed of water cress about six feet wide grew at the bottom of the Clark garden, and Elder Farrell walked down there to gather some water cress for supper. While doing so he heard the sound of running water the opposite side of the garden wall, where there was an orchard. He stepped across the water cress bed and looked over the wall and there saw a stream of water about four feet wide (doubtless swollen by the recent shower,) and just about twenty feet down stream two posts stood—one in either bank. He called Mr. Clark to come down and notice the stream, and asked him if he could find three boards, a foot wide, to drop in the stream above the posts, to form a dam, thus making the stream deep enough to baptize in, and so secluded that no one would notice them or suspect what was going on.

It was also suggested that Mr. Clark arrange a safe bridge across the water cress bed, which he immediately complied with, by taking the kitchen door off its hinges and laying it down there to be walked over, and also made steps to descend into the water.

Along towards evening Elder Farrell set out to walk to Mr. Baker's, who was always on hand to lend him a pair of pants and high topped rubber boots to wear when he was baptizing. He had not proceeded far when someone approached him behind, and clutched him by the arm. Turning around he faced Mr. Baker, who inquired if he was going to his house. Elder Farrell replied that he was, for the purpose of getting his uniform to wear in baptizing. Surprised, he next inquired who was to be baptized, and was told that it was Annie and Lilla Clark.

"Well, bless me," Mr. Baker exclaimed, "it was only on Sunday last that Bishop Maughan asked if he could baptize the girls, and was told by the father that if they talked baptism to him they could not live in his house."

Elder Farrell explained that Mr. Clark had not only given his consent, but had prepared a place in which to baptize them.

"Well," said Mr. Baker, "that is wonderful! I can't stand it any longer. Mr. Farrell, will you baptize me too?"

Elder Farrell replied that he would be pleased to do so.

On reaching the Baker home Mrs. Baker was asked to get the "uniform," as Elder Farrell was going to do some baptizing.

She inquired who was going to be baptized and her husband replied: "The Clark girls and Charlie Baker."

The good woman raised her hands in ecstacy, and exclaimed: "Well, the Lord be praised!"

Just then Mr. Baker's apprentice, a young man about seventeen years of age, came running in from the next room, and eagerly asked: "Elder Farrell, will you please baptize me?"

Elder Farrell inquired if his parents were willing, and he replied that he dare not tell them anything about it. He was advised to go straightway to them and tell them frankly that he wanted to be baptized: that Elder Farrell was going to do some baptizing that evening, and that he thought it would make a better boy of him if they would only consent.

He walked towards his home very slowly, and with apparent reluctance, but he was soon seen coming back on the run, and bubbling over with happiness, for his parents were willing that he should be baptized.

When Elder Farrell was about to descend into the water he gave Mr. Clark a pocket handkerchief, and told him to stand on the bank and help each one down into the water, and, after he was baptized, to help him out again, and when he was safely on the bank to wipe the water out of his eyes.

He did so, and his wife told Elder Farrell the next morning that he had never felt happier in his life than when assisting the people in and out of the water. She begged him to go and wake Elder Farrell up and be baptized by him, but he said "No."

The next morning after breakfast Mr. Clark said: "Now Mr. Farrell, I am going to walk with you to the station, and carry your valise. I may never see you again."

When they got out of town he stopped Elder Farrell, and, standing in front of him, said: "I want to tell you that you have made a 'Mormon' of me from the ground up, and I cannot help myself; but I will never be baptized until I pay for every bill or account that I owe; then if anyone says anything to me about being baptized I will tell him it is none of his business; that I am not beholden to him, but if you are in this country and one hundred miles away I shall want you to come and baptize me."

When they reached the train Mr. Clark bade the Elder good bye, while tears ran down his cheeks. He also thanked him for his good advice and teachings, and the good example he had set before him and the world, and said he hoped to see him again.

Three months after Elder Farrell arrived home he received a letter from Mr. Clark stating that he had been baptized, and had stood in the meeting of the Saints and borne his testimony to the truth of the Gospel, in the house which he and a few other residents of Stanwick had generously leased and paid the rent on for one year in advance, so that Elder Farrell would not be under the necessity of preaching out in the open air. He knew the Gospel was true, and that it would save and exalt mankind inas-much as they were true and faithful to its principles.

In two years from that time Mr. Clark and his family arrived in Salt Lake City, and in course of time removed to Smithfield, where he worked at his trade as shoemaker.

He did well and entered all work that he did in a book, and at the close of every year took that book to the Bishop and had a careful computation made of his earnings and paid one-tenth for tithing.

The whole Clark family joined the choir, and the father continued to take his part in the choir until he was past 87 years of age and had grown so weak that other members used to be under the necessity of helping him up the stairway.

He died just before he was 88 years of age, a firm and consistent Latter-day Saint, and up to the last manifested the utmost respect for Elder Farrell, and also taught his family to respect him and seek his counsel.

His family are all faithful members of the Church, and are now residing in Cache County, Utah, and doing well.